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NURU YA BONDE December 2013 • AIDS Population and Health Integrated Assistance updates Community Health Clinical Services Health Communication Monitoring & Evaluation Building Capacity in Analysis and Use of District HIV/AIDS Data: Workshop Report, County-, August 2013 Background The AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance project in Rift Valley, APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde, is a five-year program (2011-2015)] supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde works to improve health outcomes and impacts through sustainable country-led programs and partnerships. The project works to increase the use of quality services, products and, information and address social determinants of health to improve the wellbeing of communities in five out of the 14 counties in Rift Valley region of Kenya — Baringo, Nakuru, , Laikipia and . One of the key mandates of APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde project is “Dissemination of data to strengthen capacity to record, report and use of data for decision-making at the county, district, in a more systematic facility and community levels. manner will guide and The project works with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the District Health Management Teams sharpen the focus of (DHMTs) and other national level partners to strengthen the Health Management Information program implementation, System [HMIS]. To achieve this, the project uses four key approaches that include mentorship, and enhance the utility of making available the standard data collection and reporting tools, enhancing coordination, and data for policy making.” improving data quality and use. In August 2013, APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde in collaboration with the Nakuru County Health Management Team organized an introductory data analysis and use workshop. The workshop targeted nine District Health Information Officers (DHRIOs) and District HIV/AIDS and STI Coordinators (DASCOs) from each district. HIV activity managers, facility managers and HRIOs from three facilities — Nakuru provincial hospital, and Molo district hospitals — also attended. Representatives from the Division of Health management Information System (HMIS), National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP], the agency that coordinates management of HIV/AIDS programs in Kenya, and DHMTs attended the two-day workshop. APHIAplus Nuru ya Bonde M&E staff, the Head of M&E at NASCOP, County Health Records Officer and a representative of the Division of HMIS facilitated the workshop.

Key M&E Strategies Objectives Approach

Key strategies to strengthen recording, Specific objectives of this The workshop followed a reporting and data use introductory workshop were to: participatory process, combining • Building the capacity, knowledge • Build capacity of county and intense practical exercises, and skills of Monitoring and district health staff in data presentations of best practices Evaluation Officers to provide analysis, presentation, use and and frameworks for routine data technical assistance; interpretation. analysis. Case studies derived • Ensuring standard reporting tools are • Contribute to standardizing the from actual HIV prevention, available at data collection points; types of analysis county and care and treatment data for July • Building the capacity of health care district teams can do with their 2012 to June 2013 period from workers and community volunteers routine data. the District Health Information to use the tools; • Generate hypotheses for further Systems [DHIS] formed the basis • Creating demand for use of data for investigation, which may feed into for discussions. decision making and improving data the county data analysis plan. quality. 1 Workshop Opening Remarks and Presentations The workshop was officially opened by and missed opportunities for service HIV data illustrated general frameworks Dr. Benedict Osore, the County Director provision. for monitoring HIV/AIDS programs of Medical Services. In his remarks, he Finally, the County Director of Medical including the cascade analytical acknowledged the national level for Services reiterated the need for framework and how this can be used building M&E capacity at county level. conducting quarterly information sharing to identify opportunities for service He reported that from the analysis of key and review forums at facility, districts improvement. health indicators in 2008, it was difficult and departmental level. The participants appreciated the cascade then to establish magnitude of events. An overview of APHIAPlus Nuru Ya Bonde framework and its utility in determining He cited the extent of sexual and gender project was presented followed by a if HIV/AIDS interventions were working. based violence during the post-election presentation on DHIS2 system updates [Fig. 1.] violence in 2008 from the available data including how to navigate, view and verify from Nakuru PGH. Recent analysis have Fig. 1. PMTCT Cascade framework data. The presentation covered pivot tables, presentation indicated an improvement, however, data visualizer, graphs and GIS. there was still need for better results. Dr. Osore also noted that that so far all The participants hospitals had embraced technology for appreciated the data management and should therefore different ways use the information available to improve in which data is efficiency in service delivery. presented in DHIS2 and particularly the He emphasized the need to go beyond fact that they could reporting requirements to focus on identify sites and data analysis and sharing, which is outliers in the data. key in promoting best practices to address health challenges. In addition, The final he recommended the allocation of presentation on resources for operation research different ways of targeting coverage, uptake of services presenting routine

Group Work Participants were divided into four groups each with case studies and a copy of the County Data Analysis Workbook containing data extracted from DHIS [Fig. 2.] They were tasked to work on two case studies using the routine data for Nakuru County for the period July 2012 and June 2013. The data was from 375 health facilities in nine districts. The objective of the exercises was to identify how well the different interventions were working e.g. HIV testing and counseling by analyzing Nakuru county HIV/AIDS routine data. Below are two case studies that formed part of the group work:

Case Study 1 Group Assignment Each of the four groups was asked to use data for 12 months from July 2012 to June 2013 of HIV testing and counseling [HTC] data to chart the overall trend in HTC Nakuru County by testing points, quarter, age and sex and respond to the following questions: • What proportion of HIV positive tests are from DTC, VCT etc. How does this compare with 2009 national data of DTC 39%, VCT 32%, PMTCT 17% and TB 11%? • What changes have been seen from the last 6 months in 2012 compared to the first 6 months of 2013?

2 Findings for Case Study 1 Key findings as indicated in Fig. 3 and 4 below were as follows: Fig. 3. HTC quarterly • There was a steady increase in HTC uptake among performance by male and female children from the Jul-Sep 12’ to the age and sex group Apr-Jun 13’ quarter and a decline in testing among presentation males and females aged above 15 years from the Oct- Dec 12’ to the Apr-Jun 13’ quarter [Fig. 3]. • Uptake for both female adults and children was higher compared to males [Fig. 3] . • Findings indicate the need to formulate strategies to deliberately target males both below and above 15 years with HTC to increase uptake among this group in the county. Fig. 4. • While the national level had DTC with the highest HTC Nakuru County verses National proportion of HIV positive tests at 39%, VCT had the performance group highest at county level at 34% [Fig. 4.] . presentation • TB HIV positives tests were the least among all tests at both national [11%] and county level [15%] even though the county level rates were slightly higher [Fig. 4.] .

Workshop participants in a group exercise.

data for data elements used. Case Study 2 Group Findings for Case • Further, there is need to strengthen the Assignment Study 2 enrollment of HIV positive PMTCT clients into Participants were asked to design a • The coverage of ANC services in Nakuru care and coverage of ANC services in Nakuru ‘cascade’ analysis graph for PMTCT county is 53% County. which looks at the progression of • Of those pregnant women who attended Fig. 5. PMTCT Cascade group presentation clients through the different stages ANC, 88% were reached with HIV testing of service, from initial HIV tests services to treatment and outcomes. They • Only 62% of HIV-positive pregnant answered the following questions: women identified through PMTCT were • Which component appear to be enrolled into care in Nakuru county functioning best, and why? • Provision of maternal prophylaxis is • What improvements have been seen working well in Nakuru county, 90% of in the component over the last year? pregnant women who were eligible for • Where are the opportunities for prophylaxis received it. improvement? • The results showing 115% infant • What information is missing and prophylaxis provided indicates the need what are the data quality issues? for the reexamination of the quality of

3 Recommendations • Facilitate analysis and use of data from routine health information systems and community health information system (CHIS)]at facility level and in community health units. • Ensure results from M&E are used to improve project implementation. (M&E results be presented in ways that facilitate decision-making at the facility, district, county and project level) • Work with national HIV/AIDS program agencies to identify M&E gaps and share District Health Records Officer for Subukia District Judy Machani Presents on behalf of her group. reporting rates. • Give more time to group work and presentations to allow discussions of the What participants said findings. • “It [workshop] enlightened me on importance of correct data collection for higher • Organize a field visit to one of the districts level decision-making.” that is performing well in data analysis. • “I will [analyze] and share data reported before submitting to DHIS. I will form a data quality team to be studying reports for decision-making.” • “Verify data critically before submitting them to the next level.” Specific action plans • “Check data for correctness; ensure data presentation to collectors and users.” To address common challenges identified • “Analyze data within the department before forwarding or entering it in the during the workshop, participants summary tools.” developed these action points: • ”Share data with district health management team and provide feedback to facility • Regularly clean up data at source ([in the in-charges.” DHIS)], including investigating outliers, • “Clean data in DHIS.” • Harmonize reporting tools to ensure they are aligned to data entry module in the DHIS, • ”Critically look at data to check on quality for good decision-making.” • Share data at facility, sub-county and • “Ensure data speaks. Give data presentations in all forums.” county levels, • “Data analysis and use of different chart or graphs makes it easy to identify existing • Develop and disseminate service gaps and challenges.” performance standards, • Incorporate activities arising from data use into annual work plans and county strategic plans, Chief facilitator’s final word • Make data analysis and use for decision- “The link between analysis and use is very important. The critical question is how making a routine process, we use the data to improve services,” said Dr. Mike Merrigan, an M&E Regional • Facilities to document reasons for data Technical Advisor from FHI 360. variance and share with relevant programs.

Conclusions The workshop ended with an increased demand among district stakeholders for improvement in the timeliness and completeness of DHIS data. Dissemination of data in a more systematic manner will guide and sharpen the focus of program implementation, and enhance the utility of data for policy making. With effective mechanisms for data quality assurance still in development, improving this area of the M&E system will be highly complementary, and indeed a necessary prerequisite to achieving the objective of making more out of routine data. Nakuru County Health Records Information Officer Luke Kiptoon led in action-planning to strengthen data-driven decision-making

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